Obsessive-Compulsive South American Trip Preparation

[porkandcorn]

so far, the plan has been to fly the bike to buenos aires, so i got the first quote from schumacher cargo to do that. then on another thread i have going at horizon's unlimited, someone suggested valpariso, chile as a port of entry by sea. apparently, the fees and misc. costs in chile are less than in argentina as well. given we are talking a 2500.00 difference between air-freighting to buenos aires and sea-freighting to valpariso, i think i'm going to start my trip in valpariso, head east over to my buenos aires/brazil leg, then down south to ushuaia and back up the west coast to columbia.

if you are on the west cost, or proximal to LA, the folks at schumacher are great. fast response time to questions, and very to the point. their contact info for air or sea freight are below their quotes. included in the pricing below is the cost to transport the bike from my home in portland to their terminal at LAX.

92x56x58 / 590 lbs. from Portland, Oregon to Buenos Aires, Argentina:

A/F $2301.20
Fuel $581.70
Sec $83.10
A/L UN $100.00
DG Dec $75.00
Crating $150.00
Apt $75.00
PU $425.00 Pu Portland OR – Schumacher warehouse

Total $3791.00 Door to Airport

Steve Haratani
Air Export - VIP Services
Schumacher Cargo Logistics, Inc. - LOS ANGELES - HOUSTON - MIAMI - SAVANNAH - NEW YORK
Corporate Address: 550 W 135th St, Gardena, CA 90248 - USA
Tel: 562 408-6677 - Direct Secure Fax: 562 684 4345
E-Mail: steveh@sclusa.com Web Site: www.sclusa.com


-------------------------
92x56x58 / 590 lbs. from Portland, Oregon to Valpariso, Chile

Ocean: $599.36
B/L: $ 7.00
Bunker: $ 12.11
Documents: $ 90.00
Inland: $100.00
Crating: $150.00
Inland: $425.00 Pick Up from PDX to our warehouse
Total: $1383.47 Door to Seaport

Once the bike sails, it will take approximately 23 days to arrive to the final port. We will need to have the bike at least 2 weeks in advance (crating and customs clearance). Once the bike arrives to the port, it normally takes 48 hours to unload the vessel of containers.

Rachel L.V. Ulale
Ocean Export – VIP Services
Schumacher Cargo Logistics, Inc. - LOS ANGELES - HOUSTON - MIAMI - SAVANNAH - NEW YORK
Corporate Address: 550 W 135th St, Gardena, CA 90248 - USA
Tel: 562 408-6677 ext. 250 - Fax: 562-684-4345
E-Mail: rachel@sclusa.com - Web Site: International Car Shipping | Auto Transport | International Moving

[porkandcorn]

got a really nice PM from a couple here at ADV. they saw my big monster list for my South America trip, and recommended a couple things for me to look at, most of which pertain to water purification. as i'm tragically addicted to researching things on the internet for this trip, i checked out their suggestions. i just order the gortex repair kit that they suggested, as that was something that i had neglected to think about.

Black Gore-Tex Fabric Repair Kit-Waterproof
Camelbak All Clear UV Water Purifier Bottle
Camelbak All Clear Pre-Filter
Seychelle Water Filtration products
Steri-Pen

since i am planning on doing some off-the-beaten-path travel and camping, my plan for water purification was to carry Aquamira chlorine dioxide water treatment drops, which i will use to treat the MSR 3 liter hydromedary bladder that i keep in my tank bag with the tube easy to reach (not on my back which hurts my neck after a while).

however, after looking at their suggestions above, i purchased a Steri-Pen Freedom, that charges via USB. i keep a 25 oz. water bottle in my duffle for overnight stays, and this would be a lot more practical when the water supply is questionable than mixing in the chlorine dioxide.

[porkandcorn]

although i speak relatively fluent portuguese, which is very similar to spanish, i've been studying spanish for the last few months to understand the differences. this past week, i started a more intensive program of spanish with Berlitz Language Center in portland. there are 4 students and one great instructor who is from quito, ecuador, one of the stops on my trip. i'm also now spending more time studying on my own.

having taught myself portuguese about 10 years ago, i understand the value of knowing how to conjugate verbs into their grammatic tenses. new languages can be pretty intimidating, but if you take some time to understand what verb conjugations are, and how the most common verbs in a language are conjugated, it makes the language less intimidating. (some commonly used verbs: to be, to be able, to see, to speak, to know, to understand, to have, to go, etc...),

nouns are easy, because it is just memorization, and in a pinch, you can always point at things or draw pictures. but a knowledge of how to conjugate verbs is invaluable.

for any language, i highly recommend the 501 Verbs Book Series. it's a great reference that you can pick through for the ones that you find most useful.

also, i found a great spanish verb conjugation app for my iPhone called ConjuVerb. it's allows you to set filters for certain verb tenses, have a flashcard/quizzing function, and is really well designed to have a reference with you anywhere you go. i'm certain that while i'm down in america del sur, i'll be typing verbs in english to have it spit out the spanish equivalent.

[moto-treks]

Originally Posted by porkandcorn

my current plan for water purification is to carry Aquamira chlorine dioxide water treatment drops, which i will use to treat the MSR 3 liter hydromedary bladder that i keep in my tank bag with the tube easy to reach (not on my back which hurts my neck after a while). however, after looking at their suggestions below, i'm liking the Inline Hydromedary bag filter by Seychelle Environmental. might be a lot better than eating a bunch of chemicals every single day.

i'm also liking the Steri-Pen Classic with Prefilter to use with my Thermos Intake water bottle. i keep my water bottle in my duffle for overnight stays, and this would be a lot more practical for that water source than mixing in the chlorine dioxide every time i fill that up.

Are you planning to be riding in remote areas and refilling from streams? I found water to be easy to get at the hotels and hostels. Then again, I can't remember the last time I was sick from drinking water In the end, I tossed my camelback and just started laying those water bottles you get from venders on my panniers. They make good gas containers too

[Parcero]

Originally Posted by porkandcorn

although i speak relatively fluent portuguese, which is very similar to spanish, i've been studying spanish for the last few months to understand the differences. this past week, i started a more intensive program of spanish with Berlitz Language Center in portland. there are 4 students and one great instructor who is from quito, ecuador, one of the stops on my trip. i'm also now spending more time studying on my own.

having taught myself portuguese about 10 years ago, i understand the value of knowing how to conjugate verbs into their grammatic tenses. new languages can be pretty intimidating, but if you take some time to understand what verb conjugations are, and how the most common verbs in a language are conjugated, it makes the language less intimidating. (some commonly used verbs: to be, to be able, to see, to speak, to know, to understand, to have, to go, etc...),

nouns are easy, because it is just memorization, and in a pinch, you can always point at things or draw pictures. but a knowledge of how to conjugate verbs is invaluable.

for any language, i highly recommend the 501 Verbs Book Series. it's a great reference that you can pick through for the ones that you find most useful.

also, i found a great spanish verb conjugation app for my iPhone called ConjuVerb. it's allows you to set filters for certain verb tenses, have a flashcard/quizzing function, and is really well designed to have a reference with you anywhere you go. i'm certain that while i'm down in america del sur, i'll be typing verbs in english to have it spit out the spanish equivalent.

and of course, it's always helpful if you are having a beer (or several) and sitting outside when you learn a language.


photo by porkandcorn, on Flickr

I could not agree more with porkandcorn about making the effort to really understand the verb conjugations. Everything else really is pure memorization. Vocabulary will come naturally with speaking and reading. I would also recommend WordReference.com, which not only lays the verbs out in a more understandable way than the Barron's books, but has the magic blue column on the left side of screen. This column lists all the verbs conjugated the same way as the verb that you are reviewing, so that you can start learning the patterns. Also, any irregular conjugation of verbs is shown in blue. The point of this is that for many "irregular" verbs, there might me only a handful of irregular conjugations. The site helped me tremendously, and might not work for everyone. I point it out so that others will have another tool in their kit.

[CourtRand]

Glad to see you are learning the Ecuadorian Espanish. Siga no mas!

[porkandcorn]

i've joined a cargo group heading to chile in january and we are looking for other people who want to share (and lower) the freight costs from LA, California to Valparaiso, Chile. our planned arrival date in chile is january 06, 2013. the bikes need to arrive in LA for crating in approx. the first week of december.

currently, there are 4 of us on this shipment. if you are interested in sharing the container with us, PM me, contact Gaston Etchart, or check out my freighting thread over at horizons unlimited. all the costs, details, and logistics are at that thread.

i've decided to go with gaston's service, because the pricing is comparable to schumacher, but his service is all-inclusive at both ports - he takes care of everything. schumacher didn't provide port clearance services & fees at the destination. pricing for the people currently involved is 1,820.00 USD each, but would go down as more riders join the container.

Gaston Etchart
SamericaXplorer
Miami, Florida. U.S.A.
305-386-6076
samericaxplorer@gmail.com
Export/Import Adventure Logistics
Motorbikes & Overland Vehicles

[moto-treks]

Have you checked out this group shipping south?

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=834185

[porkandcorn]

yes, that's the group i'm going with. thanks for keeping your eyes open for me!

[porkandcorn]

today was a shop day with my very good friend damon. we tackled a few projects, most notably changing out from the stock Triumph road tires to a more agressive on/off Heidenau K60 Scout front and rear.

on my canada trip, i ran into tom and randy from arizona on a 2012 tiger explorer and 2011 tiger 800xc, respectively. also there was angus, a scotsman by way of texas, on a 2003 bmw 1150 gs sport. they were all running the k60's on the dempster highway in the yukon and northern territories, and were all very big fans. i'd already been planning on this tire for south america, but their rave reviews sealed the deal.

tom, randy, and anges said the scouts wear and ride amazingly well on pavement - unlike the Continental TKC 80's, which are undoubtedly a better off-road tire but chew off rubber like there's no tomorrow on the road. but if you air the scouts down to 25 psi or so, the aggressive treading on the side spread out a bit and really grip well off-road. the dempster highway is a serious off-road proving ground.

the scouts are very stout and there is a LOT of meat on the tread. they are very heavy-duty tires. the sidewalls were pretty challenging to get over the rim, but i did it (with a bunch of bead sllime) and i did it with my field tools. so now i'm ok with nails, thorns, chicken beaks, stale tortilla chips, bullet holes, or whatever else comes my way down south. i know i can change them out on my own.

this tire change also gave me a chance to test out the TireIron BeadBrakR kit from BestRest Products, LLC. verdict: it's freaking awesome. invaluable tool. works great. packs light. super easy to assemble and use. the 3 included tire irons assemble into the mechanism, and it comes with everything you need to pull and replace a tire and tube. add a patch kit, and a compact pump, and you are set. david at BestRest is great and he's got a bunch of other really brilliant and specialized ADV products.

a special thanks to my buddy damon for putting the "shop" in "shop day." damon and i met on one of the v-strom forums about a year ago and have since become good friends - even though i become a "limey" and bought a triumph. i lucked out big time, because he's got a full-blown motorcycle dream-shop in his garage. you will never want for a tool in that garage. there's always a pot of bad coffee on, and always beers for the victory dance at the end of the day. damon's been passing along his motorcycle knowledge to me for the last year, and i wouldn't be able to set off into the unknown as confidently as i am without all the invaluable help he's given me since we met. damon - you're good peeps.


the boys and the toys by porkandcorn, on Flickr


trust me, i can fix it by porkandcorn, on Flickr


trying out the bead brakR by porkandcorn, on Flickr


taking a break on top of the rear tire by porkandcorn, on Flickr


giving it everything i got by porkandcorn, on Flickr


heidenau scout all balanced up by porkandcorn, on Flickr


see how easy that was… only took 4 hours by porkandcorn, on Flickr


the supervisor deserves a refreshing beverage by porkandcorn, on Flickr

[GastonUSAChile]

Beautiful bike and gear. Love it!!! Proud to carry such equipment to my country, Chile

Porkandcorn's container is full full, and complete with 1 SUV, 4 standards bikes & 1 bike with a side car. Newcomers are invited to a new container. (Nov. & Dec).

[porkandcorn]

awesome gaston. good news on the SUV for a Full Container! thanks for all your help. getting very excited!!!

[porkandcorn]

i know that i don't really *need* a tent for my trip. but i would *like* to have one, for camping in patagonia, on random beaches, and other places i'll find along the way. i spoke with one rider who spent 5 months riding south america, and he said he only camped 4 nights - not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

that said and known, i was fretting over the volume of extremely valuable duffle bag space that my mountain hardware skyledge 2.1 tent was taking up on my canada trip. the length of the poles are the issue. they are too long for the panniers, nor did i want to just strap them out in the open and have them in the way all the time.

so i fixed the problem this week by creating a tent tube®. patent not pending. 20" of 4" ABS pipe, 4" of 2" ABS pipe, one 3" to 2" reducer, two fernco rubber caps and blammo!... you got yourself a rugged tent storage tube. the 4" pipe fits perfectly behind the pannier mounts, and i'll just strap it up there with some worm-drive metal straps. it also clears the rear wheel and the swing-arm at maximum shock compression.

it takes some effort to get the tent in, but it fits nicely and now it's out of the way and i don't have to feel bad about taking it any more. this is one good thing about having a lot of time to plan your trip - you can really customize your setup nicely.

and it helped me kill some more time and get in touch with my inner plumber. i'm getting very excited to go. bought my ticket to santiago, chile yesterday. the container-mates and i have started planning out our arrival and the pickup of the bikes.


ABS plastic by porkandcorn, on Flickr


stuffed tent by porkandcorn, on Flickr


triumph tiger wasted space by porkandcorn, on Flickr


triumph tiger tent tube by porkandcorn, on Flickr


the tent tube by porkandcorn, on Flickr

[GastonUSAChile]

Ftz,

It looks good the arrangement for the tent's pipes. Check the clearance between the tent pipe and the rear tire. It looks like a narrow gap between both to me.

Sometimes you'll find at dirt roads and even paved ones mined with a series of pot holes, deep ones!, so, the vertical travel of the rear tire to be a few inches, and not including already the super impose weight on your bike due to the cargo , panniers, bags , etc...

Gaston

[porkandcorn]

yes, that is the first thing i considered. it clears the rear tire at maximum shock compression, even with the more aggressive tires mounted.